The Young Women’s Cabinet

Reauna is a first–year law student at the University of Minnesota Law School and hopes to use her degree to practice civil rights litigation and eventually, serve in public office. Reauna is a graduate of Minnesota State University, Mankato, with degrees in political science and mass media. During her senior year at MNSU, Reauna served as student body president, implementing the first basic-needs platform in the school’s history. Reauna is a former board member with Students United and intern with The Nature Conservancy.

Amy Ruiz Plaza is a Latina-American and a senior pre-med student at Bethel University. As a member of the Student Government Board and executive director of United Cultures of Bethel, Amy leads a group of young women and helps them grow in their cultural identity, find community, and be successful in their fields of study. A volunteer for the University of Minnesota Medical School Mobile Health Initiative and ambassador for Faith in the Vaccine, Amy is passionate about women’s rights and providing equal healthcare access for all people.

Oluwatomi (Tomi) is a junior at Woodbury High School. Through school activities, service projects, and church-led volunteer work, she has grown a passion for public service and community outreach. As a district ambassador for south Washington County, Tomi works to improve school systems in her district. She leads a campus clean-up initiative for her National Honor Society and is a member and co-leader of the Healthy Minds Club. Tomi has achieved competitive success in speech, where she shares her experiences as a woman of color and African descent. She plays for Salvo soccer club and competes on varsity soccer and track teams. She hopes to pursue a career in pediatric medicine or law.  

Oluwatomini (Tomini, she/her) is a senior undergraduate studying applied science in psychology with a concentration in computer analytics and programming. She is also a first-year student in the Master of Public Health in Global Health program at St. Catherine University. Tomini as a program coordinator at Restoration for All Inc., a community-based nonprofit that partners with individuals and communities to restore their cultural connections and heritage by addressing trauma and promoting sociocultural well-being and resilient connections. She instructs the general psychology lab and participates in student-led organizations like the Student Senate as an organizational affairs chair at St. Catherine University. 

Lori is a junior at the University of Minnesota, where she studies communication and biology, society & environment. Lori is an enrolled member of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe in Northern Minnesota and an integral part of her community. She proudly serves as the co-chair of the Leech Lake Twin Cities Local Indian Council, representing her Indigenous community while promoting her personal social impact initiative, “Water You Doing?” Advocate of Mother Earth’s Natural Resources. She hopes to bring light to the Missing Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit Relatives (MMIWG2S) and continue her advocacy for a sustainable environment for future generations.

Solana is an Afro-Indigenous single mother, born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In high school, she was very active in protesting and working with city council members to make Minneapolis a safer place. After high school, she continued to protest and fought to expose sexual abusers throughout Minnesota. These efforts included working with Congresswoman Ilhan Omar in the opening of the first memorial for survivors of sexual violence, located in Minneapolis. Now, Solana is a full-time mom and spends most of her time with her son.

Madisen is a sophomore at Roseville Area High School where she plays an active role on the student council as sophomore class representative. Prior to high school, she was involved with Support Our School (SOS), where she collaborated with her classmates to develop ways to protect her peers from the dangers of nicotine and tobacco use. Madisen hopes to attend college on the West Coast and pursue a career in psychology or family medicine. Outside of school, Madisen enjoy competitive dancing and creating equitable opportunities for young women of color.

Riss (they/them) is the program coordinator at Wilderness Inquiry. Riss graduated from the University of Minnesota Duluth with a BAS degree in Environmental and Outdoor Education. They are a DeafBlind individual and have been involving in the Deaf, DeafBlind, Hard of Hearing, People with Disabilities, and LGBTQIA+ communities. Riss was part of the Access For All organization in the university, and they have worked with outdoor recreation programs to make the outdoor programs accessible for people with disabilities. Their passion is to improve the accessibility of the wilderness, and they believe that wilderness should not be limited to all communities.

Iman Ibrahim is a junior at Eagan High School and Inver Hills Community College. She is actively involved in advocacy work, co-founding the Tobacco-Free Society to prevent youth access to flavored tobacco products and to improve communities affected by industry marketing and health disparities. Outside of school, she has hosted vaping prevention workshops in local middle schools and serves on the Racial Health and Equity Committee for the Minnesota Coalitions for a Smoke-free Generation. After graduation, she aspires to go to college to study public policy or political science, with an intent to pursue law.

Lanaya is a senior at Woodbury High school and a student at Minneapolis College of Art and Design. After high school, she plans to pursue a career in marketing and entrepreneurship. She is involved in advocacy and activism as the public relations chair at her school’s Black Student Union and is a student ambassador at 916 Career and Technical Center, where she gives campus tours. Lanaya enjoys playing the guitar, photography, and developing environmentally friendly clothing designs using upcycled materials.

Sophie (they/her) is a Minnesotan with a global background, having lived in three countries before moving to her home state in 2017. They are passionate about defining home, belonging, and what makes a place a great place to live. Sophie lives in Mankato and works with multiple non-governmental community-based organizations including YWCA Mankato, Minnesotans for Fair Lending, and First Presbyterian Church of Mankato. They are an extroverted musical-theater-nerd with interests in economic justice, drag performance, and their cats.

Born and raised in Saint Paul, Reyna identifies as Indigenous, specifically Bois Forte Band of Ojibwe and Mexica-Nahua. As the oldest of five, she has always found herself in leadership roles and loves being of service to her family and community. She has worked within the Native community as a youth mentor, project manager, administrative assistant, and cultural consultant. Reyna previously worked at a cultural center for three years, where she gained experience working with a variety of artists in Minnesota. Recent accomplishments include becoming a mother and a graduate from Hamline University with a degree in business administration.

Sita (she/her) is a Dakota, Lakota, and Anishinaabe woman from southside Minneapolis, currently on a gap year at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. She is passionate about giving a voice to and remembering Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives. Her passions are made possible through the Wikoskalaka Omniciye, a young women’s group in Minneapolis at the Division of Indian Work (DIW). She is also an ambassador of the Red Ribbon Skirt Society based in Rapid City, South Dakota. Baker also volunteers at the Youth Leadership Development program at DIW. 

Rayaan is a senior at Edina High School, pursuing online courses through Northern Star Online, Rayaan works with Hennepin County as a library specialist and previously worked as a Teen Tech Squad intern with Hennepin County. She was awarded the MN Science Museum Grant for a project that centers Indigenous youth. She led Be The Dream, focusing on providing accessible social justice education to students, which received the Minnesota Youth Council grant for Social Justice Through The Humanities. She hopes to major in public health, dental hygiene, or social work to continue to pursue social justice, and community outreach.